“Was William Masters in protective custody or WITSEC because of the testimony he was about to give?” Jarrett asked.
Claudia Diaz typed for a full minute and a half as everyone held their breath. “Oh, Jesus!”
“What? He was in WITSEC?” Kane asked.
She looked up. “He wasn’t in WITSEC but he was living in a Boston PD safehouse for his protection before the trial. One of his friends told investigators that he’d called the night of his murder, and said he was going to sneak out of the safehouse that night. He said he was bored to death and wanted to meet the friend at a bar. The friend was on his way to meet William when the bar blew up with Masters inside.”
“That’s it,” Kane said. The rest of them mumbled in agreement. “What do you want to bet Martin Carlow decided to hack the Justice Department to get a list of WITSEC’s protectees after killing Masters?”
“I’ll take that bet,” Thayne said.
“Me too. That has to be it, Delancey,” Dev said patting her partner on the back.
“Okay, so what’s next, boss?” Kane said, looking up the table at SAC Sarah Connor. Casey Watterson walked to the back of the room and sat down as Sarah stood up and took her place at the front.
“We need to bring this to the US Marshals. They need to pour over the missing WITSEC list for anyone who fits this profile or give us access to it,” she said. “I’ll call him as soon as we’re done here.”
“I think we should also look at other crimes with victims that fit this profile,” Kelly said. “It could be that Carlow killed in other ways, not necessarily bombings. Kane and I can start working on that.”
“Good,” Sarah said.
“Cassidy and I will help you with that,” Mike Williams said. “That’s a big job and we’ll start with vice. They would know about the deaths of young gay junkies.”
“Thanks,” Kane said.
“We’ll run the profile through VICAP so that we can check nationwide,” Claudia Diaz said. “For all we know, there have been other murders that fit the profile in states other than California and Massachusetts.” She turned to Lincoln. “You and McCallahan will handle that.”
“Sure boss,” Lincoln said.
“Thayne, Dev, and I will look for deaths in bombings that might have been ruled as collateral damage,” Jarrett said. “I’m pretty sure there are some deaths that weren’t considered murders, only collateral damage when a bomb went off.”
“Good thinking, Evans,” Sarah said. She looked around the room. “Okay, anything we missed?”
Mumbling and a lot of shakes of the head filled the room.
“Okay, you’ve all got your assignments,” she said. “Get to work.”
Chapter Twenty
Kane and Kelly sat across from each other in the squad room meticulously going over every murder and suspicious death of a male prostitute in Los Angeles going back five years. Since Carlow had only popped up in California in recent years, Kane figured any murder in any manner should be looked at just in case they were wrong about him limiting his kills to bombs. When his phone rang at 6:35, he looked down at it, startled by how late it had gotten. They’d been working at their desks for hours, completely engrossed in the monster task of trying to predict where a serial killer would strike next. A wave of warmth washed over him when Luca’s name popped up in the caller ID. He smiled to himself as he swiped the phone.
“Hey, Luca.” Kane glanced across his desk and spotted Kelly, leaning back in her chair with her hands clasped behind her head. She was giving him a knowing smirk. He rolled his eyes at her and stood up, walking several steps away to an unoccupied spot in the office where he hoped to get a modicum of privacy.
“Hi, Kane. Dinner is ready. Are you ever coming home?”
Coming home. Just hearing those two words made Kane realize that he was in real trouble. No way was he going to be able to quantify how it made him feel. The truth was being with Luca, having him in his bed, gave him a measure of peace and happiness he couldn’t put into words.
“I’m sorry, baby. I got caught up but I’m heading out right now.” He walked back to his desk and bent to open the top drawer, ignoring the way Kelly was staring at him and not her monitor. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay. Drive safely. I can’t wait to see you.” Before Kane could say goodbye, the call disconnected and he slid his phone back into his jacket. He looked over at Kelly as he fished his gun out of the drawer and slid it into its shoulder holster. “What?”
She grinned at him. “Nothing. You just look so damned happy, Delancey. It looks good on you. Going home to Luca?”
He nodded. “Yeah, he cooked for us.”
“Have a good night,” she said. “See you bright and early. There are still tons of names to go through.”
“G’night, Murphy.” Kane turned and walked to the door, anxious to get home and take Luca in his arms just so he could know he was safe.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Luca heard the key in Kane’s front door and a minute later, followed by footfalls on the stairs as he walked up to the main level. He’d never been so happy to hear anything in his life. He was still exhausted—probably from grief as Kane had suggested, but he’d forced himself to shower, grocery shop, and make dinner after the long nap he’d taken. He’d cried for hours after returning several phone calls from concerned friends and then silenced his phone. Unfortunately, this almost made things worse, constantly picking it up to check to see if Kane or Sebastian called.
He’d kept things together as he’d returned calls to his first two friends but when he returned Stephen Auerbach’s call, he’d broken down, crying for Thelma over the line. He knew Stephen, of all people in the world, would understand grief over the loss of a friend. The night he’d spoken at the Hamburger Mary’s memorial about how many of his “family” he’d lost to the ravages of AIDS made it crystal clear that Stephen understood loss even better than Luca ever would.
“Something smells amazing,” Kane said, coming into view as he climbed the final steps to the living area. Luca was so happy to see him, it felt like all his cares vanished. He grinned.
“I hope you like chicken enchiladas,” he said. “I made them a little spicy.” He walked out from behind the wall that split the kitchen from the living room and crossed the floor as Kane strolled toward him, loosening his tie. The heat in Kane’s eyes was everything as he reached out and pulled him into his arms.
“God, I missed you, baby,” Kane said, reaching out and running his fingers through Luca’s hair as he gazed at him.
Luca adored the way he looked at him. There was more to his gaze than there ever had been before. Luca recognized the deep affection—perhaps even love—shining in Kane’s beautiful light eyes. They were a clear blue with tiny flecks of gray. With his stubbled cheeks and dimples when he smiled, he was the most beautiful man in the world to Luca. He reached up and twined both arms around Kane’s neck, tugging until he lowered his mouth. When their lips met it was like sinking into heaven.
Kane held him close to his body and ran his hands up and down Luca’s back as he kissed him. Luca was swept up in the delight of just being held. Kane’s strong body towered over him. At six foot four, he was seven inches taller than him. Luca was certain he’d never felt safer or more cherished in a man’s arms than when he was with Kane. They kissed languidly, letting their tongues dance and tangle until Luca was quite sure he could no longer catch his breath. When Kane finally pulled back, he was panting… hard.
“If it weren’t for the fact that I know you went to a lot of trouble, I’d tell you to ditch the dinner and put you right where I want you,” Kane said. His voice was strained and deeply dark and Luca felt lust shiver through him.
“In your bed? Is that where you want me?” he teased.
Kane grinned darkly, grabbing his ass hard and yanking him until their groins were pressed together. His cock was as long and thick as a club and Luca couldn’t wait to feel him sink insid
e his body.
“You know that’s what I meant.” Kane lowered his mouth as he rocked into Luca, rubbing his hard length up and down against his own.
“Fuuuuck,” Luca groaned as he pulled his mouth away. The loss of Kane’s lips was almost painful. He stepped back, feeling how flushed his cheeks were. The two red flags of color in Kane’s cheeks betrayed his arousal only too well. He took Kane’s hand and pulled him toward the dining area. “Come on. You’re going to eat and then we’ll concentrate on other good things.”
Kane snorted and dropped Luca’s hand. “Let me get changed. I’ll only be a minute.”
“Okay, no problem.” Luca said. “I’ll dish up the food. Hurry so it doesn’t get cold.” He heard a grunt of agreement as Kane disappeared down the hallway.
By the time Kane returned a few minutes later, Luca had placed the glass Pyrex dish of chicken enchiladas on the table along with a bowl of Mexican rice with tomatoes and mild Ortega chilis. Homemade refried beans that one of Luca’s friends taught him to make would have been a lovely accompaniment but unfortunately, the dry pinto beans had to be soaked overnight. He’d had to settle for the canned substitute but after warming them up, he toasted a couple of whole jalapeños and set them in the bowl, garnishing the lot with crumbled queso fresca to make it look pretty. With the addition of Tapatío hot sauce and fresh sour cream, the meal was one that he was proud to serve Kane.
“Wow, baby, this looks amazing and I’m so hungry you have no idea,” Kane said, walking over to him as he adjusted the last bowl on the table.
As Luca straightened, Kane hugged him from behind, bending to kiss the side of his neck. Luca leaned back against Kane’s strong form, bending his head to give his man more access to his throat. When Kane started to suck on his neck, Luca giggled and moved out of his grasp.
“Go sit down,” he said, chuckling as he reached up to wipe the wet away from his throat. “I’m not going to let you give me a hickey.”
Kane reluctantly let him go and grinned as he took his place at the table, sinking into the chair wearing his soft pajama bottoms and an old blue T-shirt that had the sleeves ripped off. Luca wore only white and orange board shorts, a tight T-shirt, and white socks. Kane nodded at his shirt as Luca took his place across from him and smirked.
“What the hell is that?”
Luca looked down at his favorite neon orange shirt with the word “Groovy” written across it in a bold white scrawl. It hugged his body, showing off his slender form. He smiled and looked up.
“What?”
“That shirt. Where’d you get that? The children’s department of Abercrombie and Fitch? Tight much?” Kane asked, picking up the spatula and serving himself a massive plate of enchiladas.
Luca grunted at him, spooning some refried beans onto his plate. “I’ll have you know this came from the retro collection at Bloomie’s. I like the way it hugs me.” He set down his plate and hugged himself making Kane chuckle.
“I’m the only one who hugs you. Get me?”
Luca’s eyes widened in surprise but he finally nodded as Kane held out his hand for his plate, spatula in hand. “Oh! Thank you.” He lifted his plate and handed it to Kane, watching him scoop some of the chicken goodness onto his plate. As Kane handed it back to him, he smiled.
“Seriously, Luca, this food looks amazing. Where did you learn to cook?”
“Hookups,” Luca said, grinning widely. When a dark look crossed Kane’s face Luca snorted. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Actually, my mom taught me how to cook. We never had much money when I was a kid since my father skipped out on us so we had precious little food. We had food stamps but they always ran out three weeks into the month. The last week of the month we lived on a lot of rice and beans,” he said, remembering those days like it was yesterday. “She wouldn’t let me cook because she was afraid I’d burn the food and it was precious, you know?”
Kane nodded.
“So I watched and wrote down ingredients, oven temperatures, and cook times. At home I have a box full of recipe cards from notes I took that I saved over the years.”
“It’s really nice that you learned from your mom, Luca.”
“Well, now that I’m in retail, I can’t get away from the store to see them as often as I want. I miss them.”
“That’s your mom and who else?” Kane asked.
“My older sister, Lucie. She’s thirty.”
“I think I saw a picture of them on your Facebook page,” Kane said.
Luca grinned, stabbing into his enchiladas that he’d covered with sour cream. “I never told you about them, right?”
“Uh-uh,” Kane mumbled, chewing.
“Well, they live in Miami and I miss them like hell.”
“You get along with them both? They don’t care that you’re gay?” Kane asked.
Luca shook his head emphatically. “They love me to death. My mom has known for years that I was gay. She told me she knew when I was just a young boy. She’s the one who encouraged me to move out to West Hollywood and follow my dreams. She always thought that Miami was no place for me with all the blue-hairs around and Lucie is developmentally disabled from brain damage she suffered when she got sick at age eleven. All her doctors are there and she needs the routine.” He thought about how hard he’d tried to find housing for them in California and how it was impossible to get them government housing.
“They have subsidized housing since my mom is retired and takes care of Lucie. I just couldn’t afford to move them here even though I really tried. They’re on lists but it takes years to move to the top of the list for subsidized housing. You probably already know this.”
Kane nodded. “What happened to Lucie?”
“I was just a toddler when the doctors discovered a massive abscess in the right temporal lobe of her brain. Unfortunately, the brain damage was permanent even though they were able to remove it. She goes to physical and occupational therapy because she is partially paralyzed on the left side of her body. She’ll never be able to live by herself.”
“Wow, that’s too bad,” Kane said, looking thoughtful.
Luca smiled. “It’s fine. They’re both really happy with their lives in Miami and very content and Lucie is the most amazing person you’ll ever meet. After her illness, she never really aged emotionally. She has the childlike sweetness of a preteen. She’s kind and loves to read, though it’s difficult for her at times. I give her lots of books and crafting projects which the therapists say help her to improve. She speaks a little slowly at times and with a bit of a southern drawl.” He smiled absently. “Instead of being almost eight years older than me, our roles are now reversed like I’m her big brother.” He chewed. “You’d love her, Kane. You’ll never meet a more perfect person in your life.”
Kane smiled adoringly at him. “You really do love with all your heart, don’t you, baby?”
Luca nodded. “Why not? My mother always says that life is shorter than we think it will be. That’s why it’s important to love with our whole hearts. I guess no one is better at it than Lucie… and my mom of course.”
“You said your dad left when you were little,” Kane said. “He just walked out?”
Luca nodded. “I was really too little to remember a whole lot about him at all. I do know that once Lucie got sick, he didn’t stick around. I’m sure he saw a lot of drawbacks in having what he deemed an imperfect child. My mother says that he ran away and left them when they needed him the most but she has retained her sunny outlook on life. She never complains about what he did but I know it had to have been terrible. Imagine having a little girl on death’s door and a toddler and wondering how the hell you were going to put food on the table.” He tried not to sound bitter but it got to him sometimes.
“What a bastard, Luca,” Kane said.
Luca shrugged. “It’s no big deal now but it was back then. Someday, I’d like to run into him and tell him that we’re all fine and we did it without him at all.”
Kane was
frowning slightly when he sat back, his plate now cleared of the massive pile of enchiladas and beans. “I’ll never understand why men like that end up with wonderful devoted families. It’s horrible to even contemplate how a man could leave his family like that even though I know it happens,” Kane said.
“I don’t know. I count us lucky in a way,” Luca said, sounding matter of fact about it. “He never beat my mom or us kids and he walked away cleanly. He could have stuck around and made us all miserable with his selfishness. Instead he was a coward who slipped away in the night and as for my mom…” He grinned widely, scooping up the last bite on his plate. “My mom is completely epic. I can’t wait for you to meet her, Kane.” He watched Kane nod, praying he wasn’t being presumptuous. He had hopes for the future and Kane was in them.
“I’d love to meet the woman who raised a man like you,” Kane said. “She sounds like one hell of a person.” Kane stood up and walked around the table and Luca watched him. “Come on. Let’s get to bed.” He held out a hand.
“Kane… the dishes…”
“… will wait until I’ve been inside you a couple of times,” Kane said, pulling him to his feet.
Luca snorted, unable to argue with such a concise promise of things to come. He grasped Kane’s hand and let himself be dragged away to the bedroom.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Kane pulled Luca down the hall to his bedroom, stopping only when they got inside the door to turn and take him into his arms. Luca gazed up at him.
“I’m really sorry the conversation got so heavy back there. I didn’t mean to… oof!” Luca squawked when Kane pulled him tightly against him and cut off his words with his hot mouth. He immediately melted against him, reaching up and twining his arms around Kane’s neck as he loved to do. He slid his fingers into the short hair at the back of Kane’s head, loving the feel of the soft strands there. He wished it was longer so he could get a good grip on it. Kane kissed him hot and deep, plunging his tongue inside his mouth and exploring all the hidden places. He tasted of spicy Mexican food and Luca couldn’t get enough of him.
Play With Me Page 27
